I watched the couple slowly dancing in front of me. The way his arms were wrapped around his bride made tears well up in my eyes. I hated that even though this was supposed to be a day filled with love and celebration all that I could feel was resentment. The colorful disco lights hitting the walls of the old Tai restaurant was giving the room a nostalgic feeling. I couldn’t help but let the past memories run through my mind.   

His arms wrapped tightly around me comforting me while I was feeling upset over some silly little mishap. The way his voice carried across the room while he pulled his guitar out and began singing one of his songs that he was working on. The call that I got urged me to go to the hospital. The look on the doctor's face when they gave me the news that my husband would not be returning home with me. The pitiful look that I had received from everyone just made me want to pack up my entire life. But I couldn’t run. That’s not what he would have wanted for me.  

  “You okay, Charlie?” I glanced up from the spot on the round table that I was assigned to and looked into the eyes of Adelaide, James's mother. She was in her mid 60s, but the many Botox injections made her look much younger. Her face was tight and lifted. Maybe she got an eye lift to show off her green eyes. It did not suit her well. Face of a 30-year-old but the body says otherwise. I gave her a small smile. There was no reason for her to worry about me when her only other living child was celebrating his marriage.  

“I’m doing okay, I am just thinking about how happy James would have been to see this moment. To see his baby brother finally getting married.” She gave me a sympathetic smile and reached over to put her hand on my shoulder. That gesture made tears well up in my eyes. A knot started to form in my throat.  

  “He knows. He will be back, Charlotte. You know the curse of this town. No one stays gone long.” Of course, I know the curse of the town. No matter how many people have died, the cause of death, or how long they have been dead, they have always returned. Eventually. But this time everyone was losing hope that he would return. Even me.  

“It's been three years since he died,” I choked out. The knot in my throat is becoming tighter. I shrugged her freshly manicured hand off my shoulder standing up from the chair I was sitting in. I didn’t realize how fast I stood up until a slight wave of dizziness hit me. I had to pause for a couple of seconds. The alcohol didn’t help. “No one has ever been gone this long. I know of our curse Adelaide,” I stated after I got my bearings. The knot loosening as anger surfaced. “But it’s broken and knowing James he would not want to come back like that. So as much as this hurts me, I hope that whatever curse this town has it does not bring him back.” The anger with the mix of vodka making that sound harsher than I meant it to be.  

  During my rant to Adelaide, I didn’t realize that the music had stopped and everyone in the room was focusing on me. I had never been good at being the center of attention, but I was too worked up, too angry, and heartbroken to care that people were whispering and going to talk about this for days to come. I gave her one last pointed look and made my way out of the restaurant. Adelaide didn’t look shocked. I guess the many rounds of Botox and cosmetic surgeries had paralyzed her face muscles.  

  Stepping out into the autumn breeze, I started to hyperventilate. I leaned against the wall of the restaurant letting the breeze kiss my face. Pushing my blonde hair in my face every which way. The smell of my Jasmine shampoo soothing me. James had gifted me the shampoo along with body lotion and conditioner that came in a set. I had put an effort into looking decent for the wedding. I put on some foundation that was a bit too light for my complexion. Adelaide had offered to go shopping with her to find makeup that would complement my features. I had turned her down. I’m not the best at chitchat. I weaved through the parking lot to find my red Cadillac. Once I reached my car I got in, buckled my seatbelt, and started the car. I did not drive. Tears started to fall. First it was one. Then three. And like a damn had just been knocked down, a flood of tears poured out of my face leaving a train of black mascara and light red glitter running down my cheeks. I looked like a sad mime. That’s how I felt at least.  

I couldn't believe everything that I had said back there. Back at Anthony’s wedding. That I had stolen the spotlight. That I had said that I didn’t want my husband, his only sibling, to come back to life. Of course, I want James to come back. It is all I've been thinking about since he died. Having him back in my arms is the only thing that I want anymore. But I also know that he will be different. And that is what scares me the most, the fact that the James that I knew may not be the one I get when he returns. The one that I feel hopelessly in love with.  

I ran my fingers through my blonde locks, sighing about this whole ordeal. A knock on my car window snapped me out of my thoughts “Charlotte, roll down the window. I need to ask you something.” A handsome man in a tailored suit stood at the window. His soft features, still visible in the dark night. A lamp post shining on one side of his face showing off his perfect teeth that had a little gap in the front. It fit his round face. On face his freckles danced on his face. James’ best friend, Kole. If I did not know better, I would’ve thought they were brothers. Separated at birth somehow. Although James shared his mother’s eyes and had more masculine features while Kole had softer features with deep brown eyes, they shared similarities. James met Kole during college. James studied criminal justice and Kole studied to become a doctor. Kole was there at the hospital when James’ Holter machine screamed death. That horrible sound haunts me. Kole had felt helpless not being able to help his friend. Some protocols the hospitals have in place. Conflict in interest.  

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  “You doing, okay? I know having you join the celebration was probably too much.” His voice sang.  

I gave him a pointed look. I really did not want to be having this conversation. Not again. This day just needed to be over. “I’m fine, K. I am just tired. Work has been exhausting lately.” I said as I was checking the small mirror in my car to see the damage my crying had done to my face. I could tell he did not believe me. But he would not confront me about it. That’s how our relationship went. We let the other one say what they needed to and then we dropped the subject. He jogged to the passenger's side and motioned me to unlock the door.  I did.  He climbed in, bringing a cloud of his cologne inside as he shut the door. He had to push the seat back to give himself some room for his long legs. The car now smelled of Jasmine and expensive Dior.  

The smell made my throat burn. 

  “Mind giving me a lift home? It’s on your way and I still need to ask you something important.” he flashed me his gap.

“What about Isaac? You are just going to leave him?” I questioned wiping my face off with a cheap napkin I found in the center counsel. So much for the “waterproof” mascara. I thought.

“One thing to know about my husband is that his social battery never runs low. He’ll be at some afterparty. Isaac will come home at three in the morning drunker than a sailor on the moon! He’ll find his way up the stairs -which will always fascinate me how coordinated he is while drunk- and try to get me to…but of course I won't. I'll run him a cold bath and, well you get the picture.” Kole likes to come up with expressions.  ‘Drunker than a sailor on the moon’ that one might actually stick. Might. 

I didn't say anything, but I pulled the car out and made my way to the highway. After twenty minutes on the highway, I exited now weaving through streets. Kole broke the silence.  

“I don’t know who else to bring this up to, but I think that I came up with a way to break the curse of this town. After hearing what you said back there, you are the only person who will be on my side.” He looked at me. Studying me. I slammed on the breaks. My heart pounding. 

“You WHAT?!” I was now studying him. 

“Charlotte go!” 

I had stopped in the middle of a busy four-way intersection. I couldn’t wrap my head around what he just said. 

  “I-I’m sorry Kole. I don't know what I can do to help you with this.” I croaked shortly as we pulled up into his driveway triggering the motion sensor light to turn on. We got out and leaned on the hood of the car.  

  Something wasn’t right. James should have come back by now. Should be with me, in my arms, in bed. But for some reason he was nowhere to be found. The curse was not something that just stopped working. Something was off and deep down I know that I have always known that.   

I let out a loud sigh and turned towards Kole. I knew that whatever was going on he could help me figure it out. Besides, he was the only one in town who never wanted anyone to come back. “He should be back. He is the only one that is not. Everyone always comes back so why isn’t my husband alive again?”  I practically shouted. That woke up a dog in someone’s backyard. The barking stopped after a minute or two. 

  Kol gave me a solemn look.  

“Come on Charlotte you know why. Think back to the day. You are smarter than this.”  

  I was taken aback by what he was saying. How could I know why my husband was still dead? It was not like I wanted this...  

“There it is… the realization of why he isn’t back. You did this. You did not want him to be here.”  

“You’re wrong. I would give anything to have my husband here. I love him.” 

  My head was spinning because no matter how much I loved him I knew a part of what Kole was saying was true. I didn’t want him to come back differently so I prayed over and over that he wouldn’t. I grabbed Kole’s hand trying to keep myself from falling over. “Are you saying I broke the curse? That the reason my husband isn’t back is because I prayed?” Guilt bubbled in my stomach.   

“You did more than pray, Charlotte, whatever you did broke a thousand-year-old curse. At first, I didn’t understand how you could do it, but then I did my research. You are one of the original founders of the curse.” The ground started to spin. I ran over to some bushes and threw up the expensive food I'd eaten for dinner. My head was starting to spin making it impossible for me to catch my breath. 

“Why don’t we go inside? 

“No, I want to leave soon.” 

  I rented a small apartment after James died. I could not live in our old family house when he was no longer there. It was a nice apartment: two bedrooms, island kitchen, one full bathroom, and a nice balcony. If James were still around, he would have made fun saying it to tiny, but Lucy didn't seem to mind. Lucy is our 2-year-old Russian Blue cat. Very talkative by nature. She loves going outdoors but the apartment you made it harder. I made a mental note to buy her one of those cat harnesses. I'd have to be one of those crazy people who walks their cats. James and I decided to adopt a cat. 

“Just tell me what you mean by ‘original founder’.” 

“I mean that according to every article I have read and every picture that is in the papers that you are in, you are the one who made the curse. Meaning you are the only one who can break it.”  

  Time seemed to slow down. I fell to my knees letting what he was saying sink in. I started to fade in and out of consciousness, but all I could think about was if what he was saying was true then why couldn’t I remember a thing. Kole was on the phone. He had placed his jacket under my head. Checked my pulse. He got on the phone, and I faded out of consciousness. I gained consciousness for a second to the sounds of ambulance sirens and the red and blue flashing lights. Kole was saying something, but I couldn't hear it. Everything was slowly beginning to make sense. I blinked. I was in the back of an ambulance. Kole sitting off to the side. I wanted to tell him something, but I couldn't form the words. As the door shut, everything went black.